The 2009 season has descended into the abyss for the Buffalo Bills.

On Sunday, when Perry Fewell makes his Ralph Wilson Stadium debut as the team's interim head coach, the 3-7 Bills will be looking to drag the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins down with them.

Miami, which started out 0-3, has rallied to win five of its last seven games and is on the verge of making its December meaningful, if it can get by the Bills in Buffalo for the first time since 2003.

Tony Sparano's club (5-5) is two games back of the New England Patriots (7-3) in the AFC East, and with the Pats set to face the 10-0 Saints on the road Monday night, Miami could get an opportunity to pull even with New England when Bill Belichick's squad visits South Florida next Sunday.

The type of performance the Fins put up in last Thursday's impressive 24-17 win at the Carolina Panthers would be a good place for Sparano and company to start on Sunday.

Just days after being dealt a serious blow when running back Ronnie Brown was lost for the season to a foot injury, Miami appeared no worse for wear as newly-ordained starter Ricky Williams rushed 22 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, also catching a pair of balls for 19 yards and another TD out of the backfield.

Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Chad Henne was typically efficient, completing 17-of-29 passes for 172 yards, a touchdown, and no sacks absorbed or turnovers committed on the night.

The Dolphins defense had some trouble slowing the Carolina running game, surrendering 182 yards on the ground, but forced Jake Delhomme into a miserable 19-of-42 passing night. The Fins sacked Delhomme four times, with outside linebacker Joey Porter having the finest night of his otherwise disappointing 2009 season with a pair of sacks.

Given the avalanche of injuries that has befallen the Buffalo Bills offensive line, Porter could be in for another strong performance on Sunday.

The Bills lost two more starting linemen in last week's 18-15 loss to the Jaguars, with rookie Eric Wood suffering a compound leg fracture and fellow guard Seth McKinney being lost for the season with a knee injury. Buffalo previously lost starting tackle Brad Butler to his own knee injury, and another starter, tackle Demetrius Bell, is expected to remain out Sunday with another lingering knee issue.

That situation would not appear to lend itself to Fewell's effort to earn win number one as a head coach, after the defensive coordinator replaced the fired Dick Jauron on an interim basis last week.

The Bills nearly made Fewell's debut a happy one, leading by a 15-10 score for most of the second half, after a 98-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Terrell Owens early in the third quarter put Buffalo ahead.

But a strong defensive effort by Buffalo for most of the game came unglued in the final minutes, when the Jags reeled off a 12-play, 68-yard drive culminating in a three-yard touchdown pass from David Garrard to Mike Sims- Walker in the final minute.

The Bills advanced as far as the Jacksonville 46-yard line on the ensuing drive, but three straight Fitzpatrick incompletions, followed by an interception on a deep pass attempt to Owens on 4th-and-10, snuffed out the Bills' attempt to send the game into overtime.

Buffalo netted just 40 total yards, with three punts and the interception, on the four drives that followed the TD pass to Owens.